Hi folks! I went to my garage today, first time after painting Signet. Damn, it smells bad. The paint. I was there probably one hour or less doing nothing particular, but checking end result of my paining job. I think I'm pretty satisfied with it:) Last post I told you the paint dry fast. It kinda did, to the point when it's not sensitive for dust anymore and you can touch it without leaving your fingerprints on it. But it's been many days since I sprayed it on and it is still not dry. Like dry dry, "hard", so to say. But you know, this should not be any surprise as very slow drying is a common problem with traditional alkyd paints.

Maybe few more days and I'll be able to work in my garage again. At least I hope so. I have things to do and would not like to wear a gas mask all the time... So, today I got off early. I can't even remember the last time when I had nothing particular to do. Nothing important. Just lazying around all evening doing nothing. Wonderful.

You know, I like to dream. I'm one of those guys who believe that dreams are the thing that keeps us going. Letting the dreams carry the load. You know, it is important that you have something to work for, something to believe in, something worth of waiting. I believe the dreams are our compass showing the direction of our lives. Some of them come true, some were not even meant to come. Here in Finland we have designation for person who dare to dream big, dream big without any guarantees of the dreams coming true. We call them "painter of the skyline". Very well self-explaining designation, isn't it? A Daydreamer. I'm probably one of those, but I don't only dream big, but also work hard for my dreams to make them come true.

What is you idea of freedom? What is being free? I have discussed about this with God knows how many people. Obviously, there seems to be no one right answer to this. Some folks think freedom is a house, a family, a station wagon and good job. For some of us freedom is a beer. Freedom can be found in money, freedom can be a state of mind. Some think they are free when they are able to live the life exactly the way they want without any control from others. Some of us think they are free if they don't have to worry about tomorrow. "being free" can be freedom. Or it can be liberty. As many answers as respondents and one is no better then the others.

For me, I prefer liberty over freedom. But I must admit that I'm very pessimistic about this. I wouldn't be so sure if pure liberty does really exist. But freedom might does. My life is pretty free in pretty free Finland. And the world is open to me, with Finland passport in my pocket I'm welcome anywhere in the world. which is nice.

I have always had this intense, irresistible desire for freedom. And this road trip project has something to do with my idea of freedom. It is being away from everyday duties, and schedules. Living in the moment. To be independent of time and place. lots of gasoline, lots of highway. The sainted highway.And most of all, ain't it really freedom if you are able to make your dreams come true...?

If there is no liberty, I take my freedom.

Teemu

12/9/2014 10:20:15 pm

Like they say in a song: Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

Person in our system cannot be free in true meaning of the word. You have lot to choose but the basic line is the same. If you wanna move to the midle of the forest without nothing, you cannot do that. You have to buy piece of land and aply for construction permit and so on. Morally your not free, you owe to society your education and pretty much everything. If you get hurt, free man wont go to doctor, he cures himself because freedom is not being in need of somebody else.
I know i´ve taken the idea of being free a bit too far but the basic idea is the same. You cannot be free when in det or in need of anyone. So being free is a situation that cannot be in your society. Charles Manson was not free, Hunter S. Thompson was not free. Sorry boys, anarchy and drugs just wont cut it...
Modern society makes us consumers not humans. Ypu can choose what you consume and where you buy it from. And not even these things are decision of you free mind, they are governed.
I still believe freedom is a thing to chase. I´m just not sure anymore how to seek it. I have children so my every decision includes my family. I have a job, my every decision is based how much i make and how much free time i have. I have liberty to leave them, quit my job and start living like a dirty hippie. Suck out every penny i can from the society, start smoking weed and telling everyone that i´m free. Well, even then i`m not free. I still supressed "by the man" and i have no real means to change anything wich makes not a "free thinker" like they seem to think, but just a leach.
Being rebel is easy untill somebody comes along and says: here, keys to the kingdom, lets see how you manage all this...So freedom is beutifull ideal but i´m pretty sure there is no such thing. Or if you really feel that freedom is right to choose the car you drive or do you paint your mortaged house with any colour you want (in some residential-areas you cannot do even that) and watch some fucking BigBrother, well...i dont know what to say, i just quess some people are sheeps and so narrow minded slaves they cannot see further than their noses. Maybe they have been so brainswashed that they think they have chosen all of this and they want it...wich makes me terrified of the future...And one more thing, what was the topic again :)

Author

13/9/2014 05:50:48 am

I agree with you Teemu, almost word by word. Except I would not take the idea of being free as far as you have. Because being completely independent from other human beings and the system we have build, the society, it is not possible nor is it natural thing for herd animal called human. Therefor, I would not see freedom as a situation where you are independent, not in debt and not in need of anything or anyone. But what is it then? I think, after all, it is probably the state of mind. Or, perhaps, an illusion. Or something else... Whatever it is, it is important and fundamental right.

About the song... Is there any bad song written by Kris Kristofferson? This awesome song you mentioned was written by him and Fred Foster back in the 60's, and it's wonderful. I think Mr. Kristofferson only write brilliant, wonderful, awesome pieces of art. My favorite version of the Me and Bobby McGee is Janis Joplins one, but I didn't know PINK covered this brilliant song. And she did it actually quite well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwmUMvhy-lY

Teemu

13/9/2014 02:04:19 pm

I have a tendencie to take ideas too far, sometimes by purpose just to see how they will play out at the end.
Point being that peole argue that the sliding surface argument is always wrong. I disagree. Sliding surface is real because people have tendencie to take everything to the max and even beyond. Economy for instance, multi-billionares are not the purpose or a goal of any system (maybe neo-liberalsm but they are almoust as crazy as commies). Still system keeps on going to a point where few owns pretty much everything they want, corporation can function in a anarchy-like state ( remember how we argued about word anarchy-like state, i admit i was wrong then). It all started when banks were given a bit of power. They grasp it and now were in this hellhole...this kind of progress can be seen almoust anywhere. Thats why its important to take your ideas to their logigal ending point. Like in Holland or was it Belgium? I been told (havent checked this) that they have voted yes for eutanasia. Fine, i think there is no reason to longer life full of agony. But some patients cant speak. Ok, doctors can decide in a panel how to handle. Word is that some relatives have been talked into accepting euthanasia. And that talks has begun that euthanasia can be used to children who are born as somehow defected. Ok, seems fair. But it begun as a helping elders in pain to die, now where killing children in pure form of eugenics. How this differs from works of nazis? Nazis took their project to its logigal end: from crazy people to killing unwanted jews. Slippery slope or sliding surface argument wins again...

This is why i call myself as a traditionalist, although my ideas and behaviour are far from it. I wanna think in generations rather than kvartals (quartal? How is it spelled). Society is nothing but deal or union of dead, living and unborn. If you forget the past, your doomed to repeat its mistakes. Our fathers were not idiots nor their fathers, they did some thing for a reason. If we dont understand why thing have been done similar way for years, we should not touch it if dont have to or we will loose tradition and probaly fail miserably. Look at building done in 2000. Ugly as hell, no warmth just non-natural form looking cold, no wonder why we feel bad in your box-shaped houses made of concrete...

Author

13/9/2014 03:24:35 pm

Your right. And sliding surface is real, it happens everywhere, every day you can see evidence of it happening. And that's the reason why I tend to take ideas to logical and, just like you. To see what's going on, what will be. That way of thinking also helps us to see things in their real nature with out any fancy names or ideology covering them. Because names can be flamboyant, ideology attractive and beautiful, but shouldn't be more important to see what it really is when all the garnish are taken off? That was the point we argued about the anarchy-like state. I remember that conversation well, ha ha :D We both do this way of thinking. That's probably the reason we never run out of subjects when we sit down to talk. Besides that we have very similar way of thinking in general.

By the way, this talk about freedom seems to attract people. After publishing the post Being free, my website traffic increased about 30% and still going up. Obviously, that post attracts more readers than average. There is something in the idea of being free...

Teemu

13/9/2014 05:56:54 pm

Probably is, its a word that haves huge power. I also wrote about the blog to mese.fi again so it might explain a few visitors. My thread about this blog has been vieved 1029 times, just checked. Few comments there but none has been brave enough to comment here. Please do, nobody wants to read only my comments...

When film crew goes into any conflict area, guerillas yell: Freedom! Russians say their protecting righst and freedom of their people in Ukraine (i follow Johan Bäckman on his blog for laughs, he´s what Lenin refered as "useful idiot"). Some idiots even buy this. Strong word and concept easy to sell. That why freedom´s probably one of the most exploited ideas. To some bigshot banker freedom means buyable priviliges and status, to a slave something diffirent.

Freedom to a point, is the only basis for a succesfull society. We have gone over that point a long time ago. Byrocrats, EU, left-wing populist, tree huggers and hippies have won. We have a society of hippies who hate avarage working man and try to drown him into vegetarian days, immigration is sacred - mantra and paperwork. If i a guy has driven a truck for 30 years, i´m pretty sure he can do it without the new and mandatory 30 hour training for lorry-drives...This kind of shit is why were not succesfull in the markets. Jobs fleeing away and some idiots want camel-drivers to ease our "soon coming need of working force". New laws to guarantee profits for faceles corporation. Somebody counted in his book that Finland would have zero det if we would not sold our corporations like Digita, Tele, Kemira and so on. In reality this would not happen but still...Were controlled by greedy bastards whom seem to think that everything has a price but not value. What´s all this got to do with freedom? Well, nothing and everything. Our goverment runs politic that peole of the nation does not accept. Politics that makes us slaves of market forces that care for nothing but money and power.

I´m pretty sure this kinda development is not making me free...Probably my freedom is at risk. Really, soon even thinking diffirently will be a crime. Seppo Lehto is an idiot but still, he has a right to a opinion. Even for a stupid one. And he has a right to make himself a clown by telling it.

Freedom itself means nothing if person or nation of freedom does not have responsibilty. Responsibility for itself and for its people or family and friends. Without this i can throw my trash out of the window or act like Russia does. Price of freedom is eternal vigilance and let me tell you, we have dropped the ball. I´m not sure we deserve freedom if we cant bear the load of it. Blood is stain of freedom and we should not give away something our forefathers bled for. I quit my jabbering to another quote: Who is willing to give a bit of freedom in the name of security, does not deserve neither and will eventually lose both. Amen.

Quick trivia. Who said: Tolerance will be last virtue of a dying society.